1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a telephony test system and, more particularly, a telephony test system having an adjustable output impedance.
2. Background Art
The telephone industry has evolved from providing "plain old telephone service" (POTS) to a communications industry providing a plurality of digital and analog communications mediums and protocols over the embedded telephone network. Telephone operating companies utilize local test systems to verify the operation of the embedded phone lines and/or telephone equipment connected to the telephone lines. These test systems typically include test devices deployed throughout the telephone network to test the telephone line and the equipment connected thereto, e.g., a subscriber's telephone.
Heretofore, the introduction of a new communication medium, telephony protocol and/or telephony equipment resulted in a unique test device being developed and deployed for testing the same. Hence, test devices evolved in a piecemeal manner such that, over time, each local test system potentially contained a significant number of expensive and inflexible test devices. As technology changes, the test requirements may also change and, therefore, many of the embedded test devices or test systems may not be capable of adapting or being adapted to a new test specification.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a flexible and adaptable telephony test system to test all current telephone services and equipment, as well as many future or planned services or equipment. It is an object of the present invention to provide a test system having a programmably adjustable output impedance. It is an object of the present invention to provide a telephony test system adapted to test telephone circuits over a wide range of frequencies. These and other objects of the invention will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the following description.